Temba Bavuma warned about facing Kuldeep Yadav before the match
Bavuma scored only three runs before being dismissed by Yadav
India's quartet of spinners included Kuldeep, Jadeja, Patel, and Sundar
India Vs South Africa 1st Test: Bavuma's Warning On Kuldeep Yadav Proves Prophetic For Proteas Skipper
Temba Bavuma, South Africa's captain, lost his wicket to India's spinner Kuldeep Yadav, reflecting on his earlier warning about facing the spinner during the first Test between India and South Africa
Summary
Temba Bavuma, back at the helm to lead South Africa, found himself undone by the very threat he had warned about. He managed just three runs off 11 deliveries before falling victim to a classic Kuldeep delivery.
Trying to negotiate a ball that turned in, the Proteas captain found inside edge, and it popped up for Dhruv Jurel, who was playing as a specialist batter in this match, at backward short-leg.
Ironically, Bavuma had spoken about the challenges of facing the crafty left-arm wrist spinner even as India grappled with the 'conflict' – as captain Shubman Gill would describe – in picking/ignoring Yadav.
"It takes a little bit of time to get used to him. Not a massive turner, but he can deceive you with the ball turning away and turning in," said Bavuma. "You just need an extra bit of time to understand his nuances."
As it turned out, Bavuma's words turned into a prophetic warning. He only faced a couple of Yadav deliveries.
India fielded four front-line spinners, a first since December 2012 (against England in Nagpur), featuring Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar.
Bavuma's dismissal (71/3 in 15.6 over) was a massive moment in the match as India now have a real chance to dismiss the visitors for a low first-innings total.
Early in the morning, Bavuma won the toss and opted to bat first. But India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah removed both South African openers, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram, who had put on a 57-run stand in quick succession.
Bumrah broke through with a sharp delivery to clean up Rickelton for 23 off 22 balls in the 11th over. Two overs later, Bumrah dismissed Markram for 31, caught behind by comeback man Rishabh Pant.
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